NAIV INAUGURAL CONVENTION 2025
Uniting Veterans across 14 regions to advocate for benefits, recognition, and support for our nation's first warriors.
Championing the Rights of American Indian Veterans.
Uniting Veterans across 14 regions to advocate for benefits, recognition, and support for our nation's first warriors.
Championing the Rights of American Indian Veterans.
Uniting Veterans across 14 regions to advocate for benefits, recognition, and support for our nation's first warriors.
NAIV Convention Agenda
Sunday:
08:00 - Golf Registration
09:00 - Shotgun Start
17:30 - 20:00 Registration, Membership - Open
17:30 - 20:00 Executive Committee Meeting, Board Room 5
Monday:
07:15 - Staff, Cedar (Outside River Spirit)
08:00 -17:00 - Registration, Membership - Open
09:00-17:00 -Marketplace/Vendors
08:00 - General Assembly Start
08:00 -Golden Globe Award Nominee Scott George (Best Song from KOTFM) - KCA Color Guard Lead
08:20 - Welcome - Opening
Prayer :
08:30 - 08:45- Commander Lengkeek/Chief of Staff Joey Strickland - Welcome/History
08:45 - 08:55 - Chiefs Welcome
08:55 - 09:15 - Mayor Nichols and City Tribal Liaison, Amanda Swope - Welcome
09:15 - 09:25 -Region 5 Commander and Executive Director
09:25 - 09:45 - Oklahoma Attorney General and Air Force Veteran - Gentner Drummond
09:45 - 10:00 - Admiral Calvin Foster - Pentagon
10:00 - 10:20 - Innovative Readiness Training - Colonel J. Hogan, Pentagon - Air Force
10:20 - 10:35 - Charlie 22 Outdoors - Scott Hettinger
10:35 - 10:50 - Combined Arms - Bryan Escopedo
10:50 - 11:00 - College of Muscogee Nation - Microcredentials, Dr. Monte Randall
11:00 - 11:20 - Remembering American Heroes - Ken Buckles
11:20 - 11:30 - Cultural Healing for Trauma - Solero - Ivan Sam
11:30 - 11:40 - Treatment for Trauma - Dr. Rosemary White Shield
11:40 - 12:00 - Open
Lunch Series :
12:00 - 12:20 - Lunch Start
12:20 - 13:00 - Women Veterans Panel
Breakouts :
13:30 - 15:00 - Womens Panel Cont. & Womens Health - Ballroom 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Ivan Sams (Solero) - Ballroom 2
13:30 - 15:00 - College of Muscogee Nation - Ballroom 3
13:30 - 15:00 - Rosemary White Shield - Ballroom 4
1330 - 15:00 - Innovative Readiness - Colonel Hogan (Pentagon), US Air Force - Meeting Room 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Soldiers Wish - Meeting Room 2
13:30 - 15:00 - Wellness Room - Board Room 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Claims - Boardroom 2
13:30 - 15:00 - Videographer - Boardroom 3
13:30 - 15:00 - Veterans Lounge - Boardroom 4
13:30 - 15:00 - NAIV Exec. Committee War Room - Boardroom 5
15:15 - 17:00 - VA Office of Suicide Prevention - Cicely Burrows - McElwain, Ballroom 1
15:15 - 17:00 - Combined Arms - Bryan Escobedo - Ballroom 2
15:15 - 17:00 - College of Muscogee Nation - Ballroom 3
15:15 - 17:00 - Paralyzed Veterans(Dawn) - Ballroom 4
15:15 - 17:00 - NAIV Regions Meeting Room 1 - NAIV National Commander, Peter Lengkeek
15:15 - 17:00 - Patriot Veterans Rehabilitation Service - Meeting Room 2
15:15 - 17:00- Wellness Room - Boardroom 1
15:15 - 17:00 - Claims - Boardroom 2
15:15 - 17:00 - Videographer - Boardroom 3
15:15 - 17:00 - Veterans Lounge - Boardroom 4
15:15 - 17:00 - NAIV Exec. Committee War Room - Boardroom 5
Evening Program :
18:45 - 1900 - Native Praise Singers
19:00 - 22:00 Gourd Dance -Head Singer - Rusty Cozad - Full Ballroom
Evening Program :
08:00 - 17:00 - Registration, Membership - Open
08:00 - General Assembly
08:00 - Colors
08:00 - Prayer
08:30 - 08:50 - National Congress of American - Larry Wright
08:50 - 09:10 - Dwight Birdwell, Medal of Honor (Video)
09:15 - 10:15 - Navajo Code Talker, Thomas Begay & Korean War Veterans
10:15 - 10:45 - Cherokee Nation Health System and VA Partnership - Chuck Hoskin, Sr.
10:45 - 11:00 - VA Veterans State Homes
11:00 - 11:15 - VA Veterans Cemeteries
11:15 - 11:25 - SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant, VA- Melissa Hall
11:25 - 12:00 - SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant - Cmdr. Courtney Trent, Cherokee Christie Woodard, Stephan -Non-Tribal
Lunch Series:
12:00 - 12:20 - Military History Museum - General Mancini
12:20 - 13:10 - Vietnam Veterans Panel Discussion
Breakouts:
13:30 - 15:00 - SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Presentations - Cherokee, Choctaw, Non-Indian, C&A, Melissa Hall - Ballroom 1
13:30 - 15:00 - VA State Veterans Homes - Ballroom 2
13:30 - 15:00 - College of the Muscogee Nation - Ballroom 3
13:30 - 15:00 - Innovative Readiness Training - Colonel Hogan - Ballrooom 4
13:30 - 15:00 - VA Tribal Cemeteries (Invited, pending) -Meeting Room 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Cherokee Nation Health System - Chuck Hoskin, Sr.& Dr. Kimberly Denning - Meeting Room 2
13:30 - 15:00 - Wellness Room - Board Room 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Claims Room - Board Room 2
13:30 - 15:00 - Videographer - Board Room 3
13:30 - 15:00 - Veterans Lounge- Board Room 4
08:00 - 17:00 - Executive Committee War Room - Board Room 5
15:15 - 17:00 - Pending - Ballroom 1
15:15 - 17:00 -Pending - Ballroom 2
15:15 - 17:00 - College of Muscogee Nation - Ballroom 3
15:15 - 17:00 - Pending - Ballroom 4
15:15-17:00 - Pending - Meeting Room 1
15:15 - 17:00 - Pending - Meeting Room 2
15:15- 17:00 - Wellness Room - Boardroom 1
15:15 - 17:00 - Claims - Boardroom 2
15:15 - 17:00 - Videographer - Boardroom 3
15:15 - 17:00 - Veterans Lounge - Boardroom 4
08:00 - 22:00 - Exec Comm. War Room - Board Room 5
Evening Program:
19:00 - 22:00 - Stomp Dance - Duck Creek and other invited grounds - Full Ballroom
Wednesday:
08:00-17:00 - Registration, Membership - Open
09:00-17:00 - Marketplace / Vendors
08:00 - 08:20 - Colors - Pawnee Nation lead
Prayer :
08:20 - 08:30 - Welcome, Jason Salsman
08:30 - 08:40 - VA Secretary Collins - Video
08:40 - 09:00 - VA UnderSecretary of Health, Dr. Steve Lieberman - Invited
09:00 - 09:20 - Shawn Terry, Secretary Creek Nation Health
09:20 - 09:40 - Admiral Meeks, Secretary of Health, Chickasaw
09:40 - 10:00 - Dr. Kimberly Denning, VA Eastern Region, Muskogee and update on VA hospital Tulsa, CONFIRMED
10:00 - 10:30 - VA Office of Tribal Government Relations- Stephanie Birdwell, Mary Culley
10:30 - 11:00 - MMIP/MMIW - LaRenda Morgan, Sonya Tetnowski
11:00 - 11:20 - Native American Boarding School Coalition (NABS) - Sandy WhiteHawk
11:20 - 11:40- National Museum of the American Indian - Veterans Memorial, Rochelle Pablo
11:40 - 12:25 - Gulf War/Iraq/Afghanistan/Current Soldiers Panel
Lunch Series:
12:25- 13:00 - TBD (NAIV Elections)
Breakouts:
13:30 - 15:00 - MMIW/MMIP - Ballroom 1
13:30 - 15:00 - National Museum of the American Indian - Rochelle Pablo - Ballroom 2
13:30 - 15:00 - College of Muscogee Nation - Ballroom 3
13:30 - 15:00 - Pending - Ballrooom 4
13:30 - 15:00 - National Musesum of the American Indian/Memorial - Meeting Room 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Pending - Meeting Room 2
13:30 - 15:00 - Wellness Room - Board Room 1
13:30 - 15:00 - Claims - Board Room 2
13:30 - 15:00 - Videographer - Board Room 3
13:30 - 15:00 - Veterans Lounge - Board Room 4
08:00 - 22:00 - Executive Committee War Room - Board Room 5
15:15 - 17:00 - Native American Boarding School Coalition (NABS) - Sandy WhiteHawk Ballroom - 1
15:15 - 17:00- Pending - Ballroom 2
13:30 - 17:00 - College of the Muscogee Nation - Ballroom 3
15:50 - 17:00 - Pending - Ballroom 4
15:15 - 17:00 -Pending - Meeting Room 1
15:15 - 17:00 - Pending - Meeting Room 2
15:15 - 17:00 - Wellness Room -Board Room 1
15:15 - 17:00 - Claims - Board Room 2
15:15 - 17:00 - Videographer - Board Room 3
15:15 - 17:00 - Veterans Lounge - Board Room 4
08:00 - 22:00 - Executive Committee War Room - Board Room 5
Evening Program:
19:00 -21:40 - Intertribal Dance - William Kemble (Osage/Ponca) - Head Singer
21:40 - 22:00 - Close Convention
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About Us
Since 2004, the National American Indian Veterans, Inc. (NAIV) has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of Native American Veterans across the United States. With a focus on advocacy, education, and community support, we strive to ensure that the rights, benefits, and needs of our Native veterans are not only recognized but actively supported.
